The Treaty of Ghent was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain. It took effect in February 1815. Both sides signed it on December 24, 1814, in the city of Ghent, United Netherlands (now in Belgium). The treaty restored relations between the two parties to status quo ante bellum by restoring the prewar borders of June 1812.
The treaty was approved by the British Parliament and signed into law by the Prince Regent (the future King George IV) on December 30, 1814. It took a month for news of the treaty to reach the United States during which American forces under future president Andrew Jackson won the Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815. The treaty did not take effect until the US Senate advised and consented to ratification, which occurred unanimously on February 16, 1815. US President James Madison ratified the treaty, and ratifications were exchanged on February 17, 1815.
The treaty began more than two centuries of mostly-peaceful relations between the United States and Britain despite a few tense moments, such as the Trent Affair in 1861 and the Fenian raids in 1866-1871.